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Kuban flood death toll reaches 134 people

The Russian Interior Ministry has also suffered its first losses: Lieutenant-Colonel Vyacheslav Gorbunov died while rescuing people in Krymsk
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 8 (Itar-Tass) — The latest death toll from the powerful flood in Kuban region has reached 134 people, a source at the emergency headquarters set up at the Russian Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

“The death toll stood at 134 people at 23:00 Moscow time. 123 bodies, of which 113 were identified, had been found in the Krymsk region. Nine people died in Gelendzhik and 2 in Novorossiysk,” the source went on to say.

He noted that police were guarding the flood-stricken areas day and night. Additional measures have been taken to avert looting, crime and violation of public order. Policemen have caught two marauders who tried to steal goods from a market in Krymsk.

Alexander Gorovoy, the first deputy head of the Russian Interior Ministry, has arrived in the Kuban region to coordinate the interior bodies’ relief effort in the disaster areas.

The Russian Interior Ministry has also suffered its first losses: Lieutenant-Colonel Vyacheslav Gorbunov died while rescuing people in Krymsk. He will be decorated with a state award posthumously.